We are hosting our group's March gathering of the Kasserole Klub on March 16th and are considering an Irish theme dinner for St. Pat's Day. But what to serve? I'm not fond of corned beef and abhor cabbage. So, any ideas for a guy who dares to put Irish and cuisine in the same sentence?

Bangers and Mash? Fish & Chips?My son Andy has been studying sausages recently and found out that bangers have the same seasoning mixture as brats, but only about half as much, so they're a bit milder.Here's a link to a local Irish restaurant's menu for some ideas - the potato chowder is great - think New England clam chowder, with corned beef substituted for the clams.http://www.shannonpub.com/pubmenu.htm

Well, corned beef and cabbage is more Irish-American than Irish anyway. I think pork and maybe lamb/mutton is more prevalent than beef in Ireland. Only Irish dishes I know are colcannon (sp?) - kind of a mashed potatoes with greens- and Irish stew. I think lots of potatoes, sausages (inc. black sausage), etc. It's an island nation so I'd assume lots of fish in coastal areas, but don't know that for sure.

Irish food is pretty straight forward using what they have available to them from land and sea. I found this site that has recipes and and explanation about their foods It may give you some inspiration.

2 While the meat and stock is simmering, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion, celery and carrots. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes. Set aside until the beef stew in step one has simmered for one hour.

4 Make a roux using 1/4 to 1/2 stick of unsalted butter and an equal amount of flour. Stir in roux a little at a time until desired consistency is reached. Transfer stew to serving bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. (Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Salt and pepper to taste. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before serving.)

As Dale said -- corned beef has a lot to do with immigrant Irish and Jewish families swapping ideas in New York City, the original Irish salty meat is a thick cut bacon. I think I've talked about it here before, but I really dislike the very sweet American version of Irish Soda Bread. Here is a recipe that we like -- especially with some buttermilk replacing some of the yogurt

There's always the Irish seven-course meal, 'Winger: a six-pack and a potato What others have said pretty much covers the territory: Shepherd's Pie works as well (ground lamb surrounded by mashed spuds). Depending on what part of Ireland you're in, fresh fish is arguably the most Irish of meals.

You sure can't go wrong with a wonderful beef stew or short ribs! Good stuff. Plus, I think the trend is toward comfort food more and more. Must be a sign of a not so good economy ahead of us. People always love comfort food, no matter what.

Joy Lindholm wrote:Our local Irish pub serves this dish called a boxty. It is basically a potato pancake stuffed with cheese and an assortment of fillings and covered in a gravy-like sauce. Pretty tasty.

Joy Lindholm wrote:Our local Irish pub serves this dish called a boxty. It is basically a potato pancake stuffed with cheese and an assortment of fillings and covered in a gravy-like sauce. Pretty tasty.

Joy Lindholm wrote:Our local Irish pub serves this dish called a boxty. It is basically a potato pancake stuffed with cheese and an assortment of fillings and covered in a gravy-like sauce. Pretty tasty.

No, pasties are more like savory meat pies encased in puff pastry. I had several while traveling in England and Northern Ireland. Boxtys have a texture like a crepe, but slightly thicker, and starchy/savory. They are wrapped around a filling, a bit like a burrito.

Joy Lindholm wrote:No, pasties are more like savory meat pies encased in puff pastry. I had several while traveling in England and Northern Ireland. Boxtys have a texture like a crepe, but slightly thicker, and starchy/savory. They are wrapped around a filling, a bit like a burrito.

Pasties are also very popular in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and around Butte, Montana, two places where Cornish miners migrated to work on giant iron and copper mines in the New World. The U.P. in particular has (or had, when I visited there in the '80s and '90s) more drive-in fast-food pasty shops than McDonald's. Legend has it that a pasty made a filling portable lunch that a miner could carry to work on his shovel.

Joy Lindholm wrote:No, pasties are more like savory meat pies encased in puff pastry. I had several while traveling in England and Northern Ireland. Boxtys have a texture like a crepe, but slightly thicker, and starchy/savory. They are wrapped around a filling, a bit like a burrito.

Pasties are also very popular in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and around Butte, Montana, two places where Cornish miners migrated to work on giant iron and copper mines in the New World. The U.P. in particular has (or had, when I visited there in the '80s and '90s) more drive-in fast-food pasty shops than McDonald's. Legend has it that a pasty made a filling portable lunch that a miner could carry to work on his shovel.

And, Robin, you may know this but often the tip of the pastie is filled with sweet cooked apples -- so you have apple pie for dessert.

I'm willing to give up on the boxty - pastie thing, but if you know about the Soundex (used to encode names for the Census indices) boxty and pastie line up nicely (as do Palmer and Balmer etc.)